Executive Chef Micheal Wurster- credit: The London NYC Michael Wurster was studying pre-law courses in college, but something else was tugging at him. He soon realized his life would not play out in a courtroom but a kitchen, and he enrolled at the famed Culinary Institute of America. There, he received a Degree of Culinary Arts. He chose the right path. And these famed chefs in whose kitchens he worked through the years to hone his craft thought so too: Alain Ducasse at Alain Ducasse NY, Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, Sottah Kuhn at Le Cirque 2000 and David Feau at Lutece. The accolades piled up. Chef Michael Wurster was appointed Chef de Cuisine of Lutece at age 26, named “Chef to Watch” by John Mariani and received critical acclaim in Food Arts and The New York [...]

Mia Messier's Thai Curry Mussels. Kurt Winner Photo This recipe for Thai Curry Mussels is a colorful favorite of the Cirque Du Soliel artists and staff of the current traveling company of TOTEM. Kitchen Manager Mia Messier serves 200 to 250 meals a day each week to the traveling show’s 120 artists, staff and families of artists. Her repertoire includes cuisine and favorite dishes from the many cultures that make up the show. The day we visited, she served several entrees for lunch, one of which was a delicious fresh mussel dish, Thai Curry Mussels. Serve by itself or with rice or over pasta. Thai Curry Mussels Ingredients: 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste 1 tablespoon chicken base 1 can unsweetened coconut milk-do not shake the can 2 tablespoons fish sauce (Squid brand [...]

The third annual Ka’anapali Fresh Festival on Maui’s Western coast is coming up August 29-31, 2014 on the beach and different hotel venues in this famed resort area. Join the Ka'anapali Resort Association for three days and nights of locally-sourced food, a celebration of farms and fishermen, local products, local chefs and Hawaiian culture and music. And yes, wine and signature cocktails too. Stay in one of Ka'anapali's fine hotels and condos, you may book a room and purchase tickets online for the festival events. Why not celebrate right now with this Dragonberry Bomb? There will be gala dinners and events featuring Ka’anapali’s best chefs, Hawaiian musicians and hula, local farmers and fishermen and a cultural event with the arrival of the new double -hulled sailing canoe at the beach for the sunset opening of the three day event. Mixology class happens again this [...]

Southern food has a style all it’s own. Take the ubiquitous Pimento Cheese spread you might find on most southern tables. It screams fun in all it's cheesy goodness with flecks of pepper just begging to be but on a cracker. And just like the people and the atmosphere in Montgomery , Alabama, good Southern food is friendly, comforting and most of all just really fun. I was lucky enough to have dinner at Central Restaurant in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery is realizing a renaissance; old abandoned buildings are being re-purposed with galleries, outdoor cafes, and casual and fine dining. Central is conveniently located just across the street from the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa, a hotel I will cover at a later date. Speaking with Executive Chef Leo Maurelli III of Central, he mentioned that “I don’t do farm to table, this goes back [...]

Lexington Kentucky is home to a unique and special place, Mecca for horse racing and training called Keeneland. Perceived today as a top brand in the Thoroughbred horse racing business with a storied history, traditions and a bright future, Keeneland was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. Open the public to watch the horses work out on the track in the morning 6-10 AM, to public viewing on auction days, and to race fans for the races. Also open to the public is The Keeneland Library, established in 1939 contains one of the largest repositories of volumes on the Thoroughbred and includes articles, books, images and auction recordings and is also open to the public weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. You can research bloodlines, learn of keen lad’s history, see silver and crystal trophies, Man O’War’s shoes [...]

Image and article by Kurt Winner This is an easy crock pot version that anyone can make. Kalua pig is the whole pig that is cooked in a pit in the ground known as an Imu. This dish is traditionally served at Luaus, family gatherings and special occasions such as graduations, and birthdays. Local families in Hawaii also make quick version with premade Kalua pork, but here we do a better version from scratch using a crock pot/slow cooker. Ingredients: 3-4 lb pork loin roast or pork shoulder 1 large onion sliced 4 plus cups beef stock 4 plus cups chicken stock 1 medium cabbage roughly chopped ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke 2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil Hawaiian salt to taste Soy sauce to taste Directions: Place the pork in a slow cooker with the beef and chicken stock. [...]

Half Moon Bay's Executive Chef Steve Sowa One of my new chef friends is Executive Chef Steve Sowa of the Half Moon Bay Resort in Jamaica. He is fun to be around, very open and supremely talented. With an assortment of restaurants on property ranging from Caribbean (Pepperpot) , Italian (Il Giardino), International with a Caribe twist (Seagrape Terrace) and signature fine dining (Sugar Mill) and catering to international stars, royalty and business leaders the world over, he obviously knows his stuff. I love sitting outdoors at the more casual Seagrape Terrace, a whisper away from the waters edge under trees stuffed with glowing twinkle lights, nibbling on any of his creations. Seagrape is a welcome spot for dining all day but at night with the addition of a band it surprises. One night after a leisurely dinner we ended up joining a conga line lead by [...]

Call me obtuse or a fool, but I had no idea the French celebrate April Fool’s Day. Indeed many cultures celebrate a “fools day” by playing pranks on one another. Some of these celebrations do happen on the first day of April, but some are in celebration of a new year depending on where it falls on their calendar. In the middle ages the new year was celebrated in some areas on April 1 or near that date rather than January 1 when most of the European world was still asleep under a blanket of snow. I suppose the birth of the northern hemisphere’ s Spring when some of the world awakens might be a proper way to think of a new year as it certainly is time to celebrate and throw the cloak of winter off completely. In France and some European French speaking [...]